Potassium-Rich Changes

The other day, when I was up to my ears in committments (saying it like that makes it seem as if I'm still not overwhelmed this week, but whatever), I mentioned that I had an upcoming meeting with my future boss to discuss the terms of my new job.

The meeting went well, I am happy to report, despite the fact that it caused me at least one sleepless night and a butterfly full of stomachs (oops, seems the old brain hasn't quite warmed up this morning. You know what I mean).

I toured the gigantic warehouse where the new company headquarters will be located in Matola, the industrial sister city of Maputo. The new office is composed of an administrative block (where I will have an office with a window all to myself, thankyouverymuch) and a huge open area where all of the fresh produce will be unloaded and processed for delivery to its final destination.

I am fascinated by the logistics of this operation. The company exports its bananas by truck across the border to South Africa, where the fruit then goes to a network of 16 fresh produce markets across the country to be sold to retailers. When the trucks come back to Mozambique, they are loaded with potatoes and onions to be sold on the local market (Moz is dependent on South Africa for much of its fresh produce, which is completely ridiculous in a place with such agricultural potential, but that's a story for another day).

In the midst of all of the produce in the warehouse area are crates and crates of brown eggs, the result of the layer farm that my new boss also operates as part of his empire of 5 businesses. Every aspect of the operation is complementary. In this case, the eggs get sold in Maputo and surrounding areas (to decrease what was up until now total dependence on imported eggs from Swaziland and South Africa), and the chicken shit gets collected and used as organic fertilizer on the banana plantation, reducing input costs and decreasing the use of chemicals.

So, the result of my meeting the other day is the following:

I will start work on October 1st.

I will have a 3-month introductory period in which I will learn the ropes of my new job. After this, I must choose whether or not to sign a contract. If I want to continue working, I am in it for an additional 2 years. If not, for whatever reason, we will part ways and continue to have a good friendship and working relationship.

During the introductory period, I will have a low salary that basically covers my costs. I will also get a car (!!!), a white, short-wheel-base Pajero with a giant neon green banana logo on the side of the vehicle. I've already told my new boss that I need some practice with left-hand-drive cars, in particular with parallel parking. He said he'll put me out on the plantation to get in some good hours driving on the dirt road network he's established before turning me loose on the crazy streets of Maputo.

After the introductory period, assuming I sign the contract, I will have a nice salary hike. I also plan to negotiate for a few additional benefits. We've already discussed the possibility of variable remuneration. The new boss agreed with the idea, now it's just up to me to propose a formula for said bonus structure. :) I'd also like to discuss the option of receiving healthcare benefits, a rent subsidy and gas reimbursement.

And then there is the ever-important question of vacations. In a fresh produce operation, you are going the entire time, year-round. I've already managed to work in a month-long vacation to Brazil and the US smack in the middle of my 3-month trial period. I'm already wondering how I'm going to manage to keep up my travel schedule after this!

So as part of my new professional identity as someone who works for a banana plantation empire, I've set up a google alert to send me industry news on a weekly basis. This fascinating article about how Chiquita payed massive sums in exchange for "protection" to several Colombian armed groups, and is now facing an investigation from the US State Department, has my interested captured in a big way.

Chiquita has just commenced operations here in Mozambique over the past year. They are up near Nampula, in the northern part of the country, and are working with outgrower farmers. For multiple reasons, they are not considered direct competition to the company where I will work. Still, one must recognize that they are a giant force in the fresh produce industry, to the point where they've created the equivalent of a Colombian Watergate scandal.